Sunday, March 23, 2014

Fethullah Gulen's Interview with Today's Zaman [Part 5]

Gülen says ballot box is not everything in a democracy

Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, who has inspired the popular civic and social movement called Hizmet, said the ballot box is not everything, urging his followers to not stick to only one but to cast their votes freely based on their personal conviction.

“Of course the ballot box holds a
crucial importance for the future of this country; but it is not
everything,” he said, adding that focusing on the ballot box only makes
some people comfortable in telling lies.

As for the question on which party he would support, Gülen said he
has always asked his friends to cast their votes based on their personal
conviction. “I believe that asking them to vote for a certain party is a
type of pressure; in addition, I also consider engagement with a
certain party isolation from other segments of society,” he explained.

Gülen signaled, however, that his supporters would not be voting for
the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), whose chairman,
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, constantly throws around insults.

“If a person internalizes and acknowledges such grave accusations and
insults, he or she may still vote for that party; but I believe that
these remarks which would be hurtful to anybody have also been hurtful
to our friends,” Gülen noted.

He cautioned, however, that the candidates are more important than
the parties in local elections and as such some of his supporters may
see some AK Party candidates deserving their support.
“Whatever party you vote for, you will not have committed a sin,” Gülen remarked.

Commenting on speculations over whether he will return to Turkey,
Gülen said he will decide about whether or not to return to Turkey after
consulting with friends he trusts. He signaled that the threat for him
is not over in Turkey, saying that “those who aspire to seize power
despotically upon growing stronger and to never abandon it start to see
as a danger those who don't nurture aspirations for power.”

“They try to portray these people as a threat to the state, but they
essentially perceive them as a threat to their plans,” he underlined.

Drawing lessons from the past during which important figures suffered
and were prosecuted and persecuted, Gülen said troubles are only
temporary and asked his supporters to remain patient.
As for the exit strategy from the current turmoil Turkey has been
experiencing, the Islamic scholar advised that the country needs a new
climate.

“A new constitution is a must to guarantee fundamental rights and
freedoms. I believe there should be growing popular demand and pressure
on the relevant figures and institutions so that they will make a
democratic constitution based on the recognition of universal legal
principles,” he explained.
Gülen also warned that “a Turkey which moves away from its own values and people will also move away from the world.”

Here are excerpts from the interview:

Only days are left until the elections. There are debates on what party the movement will support.
I cannot see it as proper for Muslims to talk about this all the time
and think that the ballot box is the real meaning of life. Of course
the ballot box holds a crucial importance for the future of this
country; but it is not everything. It is impossible not to become upset
realizing that focusing on the ballot box only makes some people
comfortable in telling lies. As for the debate on who we should vote
for, I have always asked my friends to cast their votes based on their
personal conviction. I believe that asking them to vote for a certain
party is a type of pressure; in addition, I also consider engagement
with a certain party isolation from other segments of society. Our clear
and plain stance in the referendum was not for a certain party; it was
for the introduction of democratic steps. It appears that this stance is
not being appreciated.

There is now a party chairman who constantly throws around insults.
And, unfortunately, the wise men of that party prefer deep silence. With
the exception of strong partisans, I have frequently noticed that the
AK Party support base is upset with this. If a person internalizes and
acknowledges such grave accusations and insults, he or she may still
vote for that party; but I believe that these remarks which would be
hurtful to anybody have also been hurtful to our friends. Everyone will
consider their own situation and analyze the mayoral candidates. In the
end, this is not a general election. The candidates are more important
than the parties; there are many valuable candidates in all parties.
Whatever party you vote for, you will not have committed a sin.

Speculations abound regarding your stay in the US and about whether you will return to Turkey. Can you comment on this matter?
I wanted to think well of those who had asked me to return. Similar
calls had previously been made. Regarding these calls, I could sense the
real intention. But I continue to stick to courtesy and a positive
attitude toward believers. First and foremost, I am just a believer
among many believers. I have always kept my feet on the ground. This is
the way I have lived my life. In my opinion, the highest station one can
attain is to be a true servant of God. It is my wish to die in this
station. I have no connection or ties to any external power, force or
group. Such a thing is out of question. Those caught in the web of
external powers, forces or groups are those who run after prosperity,
power and other worldly stations or posts. Unfortunately, those who
aspire to seize power despotically upon growing stronger and to never
abandon it start to see as a danger those who don't nurture aspirations
for power and who even specifically refrain from such pursuits with a
focus on how to attain God's contentment and His bliss in the Hereafter.
They try to portray these people as a threat to the state, but they
essentially perceive them as a threat to their plans.

Even in the most underdeveloped societies, people are tried for their
words and acts and verdicts are passed about them based on what they
say or do. People and authorities know and have observed my acts and
words for the last 50 years. Is it possible for a person who has a
secret agenda to conceal this agenda for 50 years?

I will decide about whether or not to return to Turkey not based on
the convictions of some people but after consulting with friends whose
intentions I find considerably sincere. As I said before, if I return, I
will return not as someone else but as I am -- as the son of Ramiz
Efendi who served as the imam of the Üç Şerefeli Cami [mosque].

You have for some time now stopped delivering sermons over
the Internet. Those affiliated with the movement wonder about your
sentiments under such strong pressure and insults. Is there anything you
would like to tell them?
We have to remain patient in the face of what is happening to us. We
should never abandon our lenient and decent style. People have suffered
from different problems in different periods. Important figures such as
Imam Rabbani, Hasan al-Shadhili and Mawlana Baghdadi have suffered. The
brutality and persecution Bediüzzaman was subjected to should be
remembered. He was subjected to all sorts of brutality. We are not
comparable to these remarkable people. But if this is their case and
this is their method, then we need to be willing to take all sorts of
sufferings. We should not resent. We need to pray to God all the time
and tell Him, “We are content with God as our Lord, and with Islam as
our religion, and with Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, as our
Prophet.” We should never feel offended by the way He treats us. We
should always be content with Him.

Troubles are temporary. If our communication and relationship with
God is perfect, we will secure our afterlife even when we experience
huge troubles. If they do not seek worldly advantages and assets, those
who dedicate themselves to this cause will have eternal gains in the
afterlife. Everybody should stay where they are. Depending on the
circumstances and the conjuncture, different options should be tried to
reach the destination even if they block the main road and options. That
destination is universal human values. These people I referred to above
were never pessimistic; so we should be like them. We should keep our
hopes high. “Hopelessness is such a quagmire that if you fall into it,
you will drown; but if you grab on to your resolution, you will be
saved.” This is what Mehmet Akif [a renowned Turkish poet] says about
hopelessness. We believe that this bleak weather and climate will
eventually disappear. We have always held this hope.

You also referred to what I have been subjected to so far. I did not
complete my military service when the May 27 [1960] coup was staged. I
was persecuted then. I was persecuted in the March 12 [1971] coup. I had
to run away like a bandit for six years during the Sept. 12 [1980]
coup. Former President Turgut Özal exerted his authority at a time when
he was feeling strong; so they left me alone. But this was not the end. I
traveled to Mecca to perform the Hajj. Things were unpleasant for me
once again. I gave a statement at a state security court. The legal case
Prosecutor Nuh Mete Yüksel filed in the aftermath of Feb. 28 [the 1997
coup] lasted for years. Despite the denigration I was subjected to in
that case, the chief prosecutor here in New Jersey showed me respect. He
welcomed me at the door [to the building]. He helped me to the
[witness] chair himself so that I could sit down. He then washed his own
glass, filled it with water and offered it to me, telling me that my
mouth may go dry given that I was testifying. I experienced this here.
He did not know me at all. Then we discussed as to whether we should
send him a gift for this gentle treatment. When I presented him a gift,
he said he could not accept a gift from a person whose legal case he had
handled. I said to myself that these people still survive despite all
negative developments thanks to this legal philosophy. Because of this
legal understanding, they still play an influential role in world
politics.

I should also tell you that I was imprisoned during my military
service because I was delivering sermons. A commander who was protecting
me allowed me to deliver sermons, which he also attended. As he was
preparing to leave our unit, he hugged me in tears and said I would face
repression after he goes. And what he said came to be. They sent me to
prison. I have also been subjected to different types of persecution and
repression at different times. However, the things I am experiencing
now are not comparable to what I experienced in the past. The lies,
insults and denigrating remarks… But everyone reflects their own
character in their attitudes and remarks. In the end, we cannot say
anything to anybody.

A new constitution needed to exit from turmoil

Turkey is going through hard times. Sometimes people become
pessimistic because of the ongoing turmoil. How, in your opinion, can
Turkey get out of this atmosphere?
Above all, I should stress that in such times it is strongly
necessary to pray to God and seek refuge in His mercy. We should be
worried about the fate of those who are not worried about their fate.
Those who feel content all the time and hold doubts about the faith of
others will face a great danger from the religious perspective. ‘Umar
[the second caliph] was concerned about his fate [despite being one of
the 10 people who have been promised Paradise]. And so we should be
worried about our fate. We need to seek refuge in His mercy and
protection. We need to say, “O God, hold my hand. For if You do not, I
will be doomed.” Like individuals, faith and submission are sanctuaries
for communities as well. Those who do not seek refuge in this sanctuary
may be crushed under their ego. May God protect us from this.

This is one side of the coin. The other side is as follows: In order
to overcome the current turmoil, this country needs a new climate. A new
constitution is a must to guarantee fundamental rights and freedoms. I
believe there should be growing popular demand and pressure on the
relevant figures and institutions so that they will make a democratic
constitution based on the recognition of universal legal principles.
Many intellectuals offer similar analyses. A Turkey which moves away
from its own values and people will also move away from the world.

Today, individuals and societies have greater importance than their
states. It is impossible to implement a project that is imposed on the
people. At the beginning of this century, Bediüzzaman said predominance
over the civilized is possible through persuasion, not coercion.
Therefore, repression of people will not remain the same all the time.
They cannot be permanent. We have to approach the events and
developments via patience, prudence and caution. If you approach the
developments via the patience and submission they deserve and deal with
them as such, reason will dominate eventually. And when this happens,
those who had engaged in sin before will feel embarrassed; and you open
up your hearts noting that this is not a day of condemnation and making
sure that they do not feel this way. This has been the case throughout
history. If you are traveling in the opposite direction when people are
moving away from you; the distance between you becomes larger. And the
day you need union and cooperation you will realize that you have made a
mistake. You realize this but it is too late. We need to think about
nothing but committing ourselves to our service and duties. This is my
humble opinion on this matter.